"Looking Forward to Living My Life Again"

Patient Story: Patricia from Niagara Falls, NY

What was life like before joint replacement?

Life before joint replacement was a nightmare. I was so foolish to think that I could tolerate the pain of my hips. It got so bad that I was walking hunched over and my friends and doctor said I looked like a 90 year old woman, and I'm only 66. The pain showed on my face, in my voice, and what I didn't do as far as normal activities. The pain literally consumed me. I couldn't do or see beyond my pain.

What was the moment you knew you needed to move ahead with surgery?

The turning point for me was when my first grandson was born. As he grew, I wanted to do things with him, but I couldn't. I couldn't pick him up, I couldn't run after him or just toss a ball or play with his toy trucks. I was so upset and frustrated. This was something I wanted, being a grammy who was going to have fun with my little grandson. This was when I knew I had to do something about what was going on with my hips.

What is life like now?

Life today......well, I'm more active, but I'm getting there. Even though it has been 1 year for my left hip replacement, just 8 weeks ago I had to have the other hip replaced. I'm kind of at the end of one rehabilitation and working on the other hip rehab. Even though I have a way to go, the biggest improvement is that I don't have the pain I lived with for over 2.5 years or longer. Because of not having pain, I am doing more, I’m able to think about other things instead of the pain, and actually turning to looking forward to living my life again.